Tag Archives: modular house

This sustainably designed, modular, ecological tiny house gets assembled & dismantled in 5 days!

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Proto-Habitat is a sustainable and innovative tiny house prototype designed to be modular, ecological, and affordable. And the best part? It can be assembled and dismantled in 5 days! The tiny prefab house is completely transportable and another step forward in a sustainable lifestyle. The goal was to create flexible spaces for living and working and Proto-Habitat achieved that with a floor area of ​​30 m² which can be extended up to 90 m² if needed. It is constructed using only locally sourced wood from sustainably managed forests and even offers exemplary traceability for the comfort of use and healthy life.

Wald.City is a French design studio that built the prototype project as part of a one-year research program at the French Academy in Rome to explore new forms of housing. Proto-Habitat is unique because it is scalable and adaptable to several different settings – it can be used for everything from individual housing to collective buildings to remote workplaces! Since sustainability was a key focus in this design, it was made using 100% timber materials which were sourced within 500 kms of Bordeaux in southwestern France. All other products and elements of the house were also carefully chosen from local industries that followed responsible waste management and sustainable forestry practices. Wood is the primary material here and brings a warm, cozy, minimalist cabin aesthetic to the contemporary interiors.

Apart from sustainability and scalability, the next important element for Proto-Habitat was mobility. The base unit of the modular house can be assembled in five days by three people and a truck crane – it does not require a foundation. The base module features an open-plan ground floor, a mezzanine, and an elevated sunroom that has a curved roof. “Shifting the role of the architect to ‘facilitator,’ the prototype and research aim to explore new forms and spaces to live together, and alternative financing methods,” the architects explained in a project statement. Proto-Habitat tries to develop a possible solution for the growing needs of a flexible lifestyle. It allows you to match your space to your life’s pace, your work, and your wallet.

Designer: Wald.City

A million dollar flexible living solution hides in this sustainable cabin

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I can’t be the only one who thinks about where would I like to be quarantined next if the situation does arise again – like what kind of house, what view would I like to have and should I go solo or pick my quaran-team. Very valid questions given the times we live in and I am finding the answers to them in my favorite Pinterest pass time – tiny modular homes like Cabin One.

Cabin One is described as a passionately designed home for the future and its minimalist look certainly appeals to millennials who will now be able to buy homes given that the lockdown is making them spend less on avocados (you know what I am talking about). What I love about Cabin One is that it promotes flexible micro-living through its modular build. You can customize the 25 square meters of space as per your needs – it could be a beautiful cabin for one, holiday home for two or a quirky office space that stands in between an Airbnb and WeWork (given that the future is all about working remotely, did I just come up with the next million-dollar startup?). “We have reduced the complexity of the construction industry to three important elements: comfort, quality, and user experience. We do not think in square meters, we think in features,” says Simon, Cabin One’s designer.

It is lined entirely in wood with cozy interiors that will make staying at home feel like a retreat. The modern wooden abode is created from renewable raw materials, produced off-site, and delivered in full to its final destination for easy installation. The large windows allow a lot of natural ventilation and sunshine to grace the cabin and bring the feeling of spaciousness to the otherwise compact quarters. It just feels like a safe space and that is all you need to hang on to during complex times and may you find it within you instead of in a house. In the meantime, take an interactive virtual property tour –  soon all real estate might work like this!

Designer: Simon Becker of Cabin Spacey

This rickshaw packs a mobile home with a detachable shop and terrace!

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Tiny houses are all the rage right now with the skyrocketing real estate prices – and honestly, I am all for it! Solo 01 is a portable tiny house which is at the peak of our millennial lifestyle with its quirky visuals inspired by the South Asian local tricycle – the rickshaw. The designer, Arun Prabhu NG, has taken a wildly popular transport icon and essentially packed up a modular house in its trunk.

The Solo 01 was inspired by Arun’s own dream to travel the world and own a house – a dilemma everyone in this generation can relate to. It is a compact 6 x 6 feet space that includes all necessities that a person needs to turn a house into a home they can comfortably live in. It is the perfect modern home on wheels for the solo adventurer, “This ingenious small space design transforms a customized 3 wheeler into a comfy mobile home/commercial space. We’ve maximized the total area to give you value that isn’t minimalist but fully utilitarian. The concept is the fruit of research into actual needs; we’ve outwitted complex challenges with simple solutions” says Arun while describing his project. From the humble look of the house, you cannot gauge the exterior’s full strength – it is built to endure most constraints such as topography, material, aesthetics and weight balance with design details that allow for plenty of natural ventilation.

Like any house, this includes a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, toilet, foyer, terrace area and also additional space if you run a small on-the-road business. The lower level is where you will find the kitchen, bathtub, toilet, foyer, and living area, while the sleeping zone and workspace are 3.5 feet up on the mezzanine level. The upper level has a solar panel (600w) and a water tank (250ltrs) installed but given that Arun is a millennial like us, he has also made space for a cozy lounge with shade on the terrace. The most interesting part is that the upper deck is completely detachable, you can unscrew the 6 bolts and put the set-up aside when needed which makes it a very versatile structure that can transform based on your needs. Born into a trader’s house, Prabhu is the first graduate in his family, “Most poor families live, eat and sleep together in a cramped 50-100 sq feet tenements. This takes a heavy toll on health and hygiene,” he says speaking from personal experience that molded the Solo 01’s functionality.

The layout of the Solo 01 is open and flexible to your lifestyle which makes it a long term investment. While being cool is great, being sustainable is more important and the Solo 01 is made using scrap metal that was discarded from old buses or buildings which is the reason why the costs for this house could be kept low. The bright earthy tones bring in cultural Indian aesthetic while brightening up the small spaces. Apart from the dreamy nomad stereotype, the Solo 01 is an affordable option for artists, small scale vendors, young adults with a small reserve of savings or even those who have jobs but are homeless because they can’t afford rent on minimum wage. The concept of this house is to cater to all economic residents of the society and the community can be innovative in its use.

Designer: Arun Prabhu NG

If Tesla designed houses, this is what they would look like

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I am an all-time architecture content consumer and nothing fascinates me more than seeing concept homes designed for the future! While we imagine it to be all Jetsons and some Avatar, designer Ivan Venkov has created a concept home that makes me curious – is this what homes would look like if Elon Musk was in charge?

Venkov mentions that the original idea was for the modular aspect to only be included in the interior spaces, but the exterior sculptural look could also be shaped differently if desired – this means only the interior foundation and platform will remain as is. His aim was to make modular spaces more than just functional, Venkov wanted it to be striking without costing a fortune to execute. The aesthetic is based on pillars of modern, minimal and calming design while still catching your eye. I particularly love the wide glass stairs leading up to the house, it gives such an airy and spacious feeling especially because it is only one floor allowing the trees to tower over you and build the view.

The illustration by Venkov includes stock imagery and his original concept designs for details as well – like the Nebula lounger out on the porch and also the automobile parked up in the front. This concept home is a high-end prefabricated unit resting in a forest, but I imagine it can be assembled in other settings as well. I am sure this Tesla-esque abode will be built to be a smart home. Would you move into a home like this in 2040?

Designer: Ivan Venkov